


Social Dynamics

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 10:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9436199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: Follow Miles and Lola as they explore... whatever it is they have. And how it impacts their friends and family around them.





	1. Friends and Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankie struggles with the information about Miles and Lola being together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a specific note for this chapter, there is definite mention of sex, but no actual sex scenes shown.
> 
> Overall this story will have a lot of that, and some swearing. Occasionally a character will be mentioned AS nude, but not really described in detail.

Everything was different. She didn’t think it was fair to blame Maya, but the play and that night was where it all changed. That just put everyone a little more on edge, everyone had a little more weighing on them. It had been a few weeks, they were properly into winter vacation as she, Lola, Miles, Hunter, and Yael watched movies. They had the best TV and parents who were regularly absent. Frankie wished she wasn’t the only one alone. She wasn’t the only one single, but…

Frankie’s gaze drifted to her twin and his girlfriend, nestled together on a chair not meant for two, but as the two were sharing his computer. Typing messages to communicate as they worked on… whatever it was, they were the only proper couple.

Then Frankie watched Miles and Lola, they weren’t together. Not properly, not a… she wasn’t sure what they were. Friends seemed too weak, fuckbuddies too crash, and lovers too strong. Lola was nuzzled up to her brother’s side, the size difference between them ridiculous but in a rather cute way.

And here was Frankie, alone. She wanted someone, but she wasn’t sure she wanted a boyfriend. Truth be told, from what she could gather from Miles and Lola… that’s what she wanted. Something not quite as… permanent.

***

**Earlier That Week…**  
  
Frankie wasn’t expecting to see Lola today, she’d acted all cagey after school and said she had somewhere to be. Yet here she was sneaking into her house. Which would be easier if Lola wasn’t brightly colored and made that clacking noise as her heels moved across the floor. Frankie was wearing fuzzy bunny slippers (don’t judge, they’re comfy!) so she had no trouble following Lola all the way to Miles’s room.

There were four primary spots one could pick to listen into conversations in Miles’s room, this was one of the great discoveries Frankie had made in her youth. But only one allowed for looking in. And that was the small patio outside his window. Which could be accessed from the patio next to it. (How Winston usually got in when Miles was grounded. As well as Zoe during the summer. And Esme last year.) Frankie got herself out there and peeked in to watch what she hoped wasn’t a hook up.

“You two… are done?” Lola started, eyes full of concern. “Is it because of us, I could go-”

“No, it… It isn’t like that, he was really understanding after he saw the play,” Miles pulled Lola back to sitting on the bed. “He isn’t ready to be a boyfriend, so he wanted a clean break before…”

“You got fed up caring for him or he got fed up being your broken half a boyfriend?” Lola always had a way with the obvious, just bringing it out in a way. “…Sorry.”

“No, no that’s pretty much what it was. Just… he was a bit nicer with how he said it.” Miles was looking so sad, Frankie knew that this was where he usually did something incredibly stupid. Like pot, or Zoe. “So I was thinking we could… talk, like before.”

“We can’t date.” Lola said, arms crossed. That was a weird look on her face. It wasn’t hurt it was… something.

“I didn’t think we could. I just wanted… what we had.”

Lola looked apprehensive, eyes watching Miles before she leaned in and hugged him. She slipped into his lap like she had done this a dozen times, “I suppose I can be your hope again.”

This was the moment Frankie decided to get away. Lola and Miles? So this is what Lola was hiding. Frankie had been so busy with Jonah, she hadn’t noticed that Lola had had sex. With Miles.

***

Frankie waited at the gate, watching as Lola carefully made her way out of one of the side doors (less likely to cross Frankie’s path) and head toward the entrance. Lola fussed with her blue hair as she made her way over only to freeze, caught, by her friend. “Hi Lola. Can we talk?”

The pair sat at the edge of the pool, too cold to dangle their feet in but they just sat. Lola explained, properly, all of it. Feeling like a fifth wheel, how Frankie and Shay didn’t appreciate her feelings. Frankie hadn’t realized how much Lola didn’t say when push came to shove. She’d sat on all of this, how they abandoned her on girl’s night. She knew Lola was strong after the abortion… which Frankie was not thinking about could have been her niece or nephew, but she didn’t think she was always so strong.

“So are you in love with Miles?”

Lola made a face, that look she made when you asked ‘how do I look in this’ and the answer was not flattering. Frankie didn’t know how to translate that here.

“I’m not mad, I don’t think. But… are you?” Frankie was trying not to judge, but this was a lot to take in.

“…No. I do love him, a lot. I care when he’s sad, and when he’s happy it’s like a double shot. But I’m not in love with him, not… not what you’re asking.” Lola was staring into the water, flitting glance over to Frankie trying to gauge her response. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be. I’d much rather he turn to you than pot? But how are you?”

“Sad. Happy? I feel bad Tristan broke up with him, but happy to have him. Even if we’re not.”

“Forever?”

Lola nodded. She was worrying her lip still, so much going on in that head of her’s. A head Frankie was sure was very crowded, given how she thought it was empty last year.

“Is that because of your mom?”

Lola smiled, it was a weird smile. Not quite happy, but like Frankie just told a joke that only Lola heard. “No. It isn’t that. I’ve seen how Miles looks at people. He doesn’t look at me like that. He loves me but we’re not… we don’t fit.”

“You’re a lot smarter than I ever thought. But… why?”

“Why what?”

“Why be around him if you’re not meant to be.”

“Oh.” Lola bubbled a little as she smiled, “Because he might not be in love with me. But he sees me.”

Frankie had no idea what Lola meant, but she figured that was just because Lola was a bit more grown up than she was.

***

**Present**  
  
Frankie didn’t look up from her phone. She was also desperately trying to drive some of the sounds out of her mind. Specifically Yael was getting ready to leave. Hunter and his girlfriend were right outside ‘saying goodnight’ which sounded a lot like lips and tongues far too close to each other to talk.

Lola and Miles were a little better behaved, but if she looked up she’d see her brother playing with Lola’s hair. She was laying her head in his lap, nothing sexual. Just… his leg as her pillow. Was this what she and Jonah were like when they were a couple. Was this the thing that pushed Winston away from Miles when he was with Tristan?

“Mom is planning to come home tonight,” Frankie said as she got up, avoiding sight lines with most of the room, “So you two shouldn’t hang out down here unless Lola wants to sleep in my room.”

Frankie headed toward the stairs when a blur of blue moved past her and stopped in her path. Lola was watching her, big brown eyes full of concern. Before Lola pulled her friend into a hug.

“What’s that for?” Frankie asked, cautiously returning the gesture.

“For only being a little weird about me and Miles. I promise next time I’ll be here for you, and not him.” Lola pulled back, that worry in her lip was back.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not going to just stop being your friend because I’m having sex with your brother.”

Lola meant well, but the phrasing caused Frankie to wince, “Okay, just never say that again.” Brain bleach brain bleach, must unsee, never think of this again! Frankie moved for the stairs and got halfway up when she stopped, came back down, and called out. “Lola?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks. For still being my friend too.” Frankie may not get what Miles and Lola were, or even want to get it. But it was nice that it didn’t change Lola. Not the ways that counted, Lola still put other people first. Or maybe Lola was just remembering what it felt like when she was Frankie, pretending not to hurt for the sake of her friends. “DON’T HAVE SEX IN THE LIVING ROOM!”

Lola had gotten back into the room when Frankie’s call echoed back. Miles shouted a sibling reply of “NO PROMISES!” This caused a small squeal out of Lola and the rest was something Frankie wasn’t going to think about.

***

The sun hadn’t broken the horizon yet when she heard the door to her room open. Frankie glanced blearily at the clock, rolled over and did her best to not scream or fall out of her bed. Lola helped Frankie not not fall, while Frankie had clapped her hands over her mouth to keep her surprise from being audible. “What are you doing in here?”

“Your mom is home, I figured I should be in here if she checks in.”

It wasn’t a bad reasoning, still… it felt weird, “What did he have to say?” He being both obvious, and hopefully a clue that she didn’t want to hear her brother’s name. Fear it might lead to mental images she didn’t need nightmares about.

“That so long as I didn’t climb into bed with all three of you before sunrise he didn’t care.” Which is exactly the sort of thing Miles would say, especially to Lola. Lola pulled herself under the covers, but kept her distance. Usually if a sleepover like this happened they got dangerously close to sapphic, because Lola couldn’t help but cuddle.

“Why are you over there?”

“It’s weird, I could only clean up a little.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Maybe I should sleep on the floor.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Lola turned over to look at Frankie, the lack of question meant Lola was making a face and expecting that to convey it. Which would be great if the room wasn’t so dark Lola was nothing but a blur with a blue haze around her.

“I want things to go back to normal, they won’t if you sleep on the floor, now come here and hug me. You goof.”

Lola hesitantly wiggled her way closer to Frankie, cuddling up against her friend now that Frankie gave permission. “I want this to be normal too. I don’t want you being alone.”

“I have you.”

“Okay but we can’t have sex, that’d be weird.” The joke carried in Lola’s voice.

Frankie shoved Lola playfully, “Agreed. Go to sleep, we can figure out a plan later.”

Frankie could smell flowery body wash on Lola. Frankie knew that was her brand, she figured Lola went into the bathroom and scrubbed up a little before coming in. But she could still smell sweat and… things Frankie didn’t want to think of, on her friend as well. She was glad for the dark, if Lola was glowing or anything that’d just make this… stranger. Than it was.

Sharing a bed with the girl who just fucked her brother.

But at the same time, Lola wasn’t doing what so many girls had done before her. Gotten close to Frankie, batted their eyes at Miles, and Frankie found them making out (occasionally undressed) with the local rich playboy. And the best ending was they stopped being friends, and at worse they stuck around on Miles’s arm until he grew bored of them.

Lola didn’t seem like she’d be either of those.

Maybe this could all be okay.

“When we’re out we should get your body wash for the house?”

“Why?”

“Cause right now you smell like me and sex and that’s weird.”

Lola squeaked in embarrassment. Which helped make this a little more normal.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this one was just… I wanted to try and write what Mola would be like from Frankie’s POV. I’m not anti-Triles Tristan was just… in the way of the concept I wanted to work on. Also I wanted this to be as awkward as all hell hence some of the scenes. Especially the last one, cause I wanted a last Frankie and Lola scene and that was the worst idea I had. So I had to do it.
> 
> This was originally written as a one shot, but I've managed to write a bunch of follow up chapters so I am going to just have fun with this and whatever this is.


	2. Miscommunications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankie is getting on board with how things are, but how will Shay react to this new dynamic.

“Can’t Esme keep it in Zig’s pants until the end of the day?” Shay muttered as Zig and Esme snuck out of a janitor’s closet. Shay didn’t even want to go near any of the closets, storage rooms, or other areas of the school. “What is it about sex that makes men into pigs and girls lose all sense of reason?”

“I’ll, uh, see you tonight Frankie.” Lola hastily gave Frankie a hug before running off, “After I’m done with vlogging.”

Shay watched the pair exchange, sensing something off. The same one she noticed over the break, it just hadn’t ended yet. “What is up with you two, is Lola sleeping over again? She spent almost as many nights at your place as she did at home this break.”

“Shay, it’s complicated,” Frankie sighed, it wasn’t really her place to tell Shay. But it hurt not telling Shay. Just because she was on the outside. However every time Lola promised, somehow she lost her nerve. Today’s reason, Esme.

“You’re both keeping secrets from me, are you two lesbians now? Hooking up like everyone else in the school?”

“Shay!” Frankie stopped in her tracks, not only did Shay just say that. Which made her queasy for all the reasons that couldn’t be mentioned. But Shay said it loud enough to draw attention.

“You the only one of your little trio no getting any?” Esme hadn’t left the area after hooking up with Zig. “Franks and Lola would be such a cute pair of dykes? No, muff divers? What’s your preference, Frankie?”

“First, no, Lola and I aren’t sleeping together,” her attention was on Shay, “Look, you really need to talk to Lola. But don’t go freaking out when you do. And you can go to hell.” The last bit was directed at Esme, before Frankie ran off to be anywhere but here.

“Poor little Shay, so perfect, but being left behind,” Esme added before sweeping off to her next victim.

Shay was left trying to determine if her best friend just lied to her.

***

Shay decided to head off Lola before she and Frankie left for the day, talk to her like Frankie said. Of course before she could enter she could hear the voices of Lola’s other friends. Some of the vloggers.

“So you’re keeping it secret for now?” Yael asked.

“It’s just easier, there’s so much pressure. We don’t need what happened earlier,” Lola’s voice was a bit hurt.

“But… even from Shay? Isn’t she your friend?” Hunter, why is Lola even talking about stuff with Frankie’s creep brother?

“I want to tell her. But every time I try she gets all judgy about sex stuff. Frankie promised to let me talk to her about it, but it just… I know she’ll look at me different.” Lola sounded like she was packing up.

Shay’s expression grew darker as she heard. It hurt being pushed out, she didn’t expect it to happen because Frankie and Lola were hooking up. She just expected three boyfriends who couldn’t get along, or Lola to finally snap about how much she wanted Tiny back. When Tiny shouldn’t have been Lola’s in the first place. Instead Shay was going to lose both her best friends.

All because sex makes people into freaks like Esme.

“You could tell the whole school about your abortion, but you can’t tell your best friend you’re sleeping with Miles? Franks knows and she’s the one who should be upset by it,” Hunter added, “I’ll never understand girls.”

Wait, what? Lola’s sleeping with Frankie and Miles? No. That doesn’t make any sense. Lola even is friends with Miles? Did it happen because of the play? Did the play happen because they were hooking up? Did Lola sleep with him to get the lead role? So many questions Shay can’t ask because she’d have to admit to eavesdropping.

“Hey!”

“I meant girly girls, like Franks, Shay, and Lola.”

“Better.” And that sounded a lot like Yael and Hunter kissing. Unless Lola was kissing one of them. Which Shay questioned as possible, although a sudden surprised yeep from Lola proved that Lola was at the door.

“…Hi, everyone.” Shay waved into the room, before Lola dragged her in and closed the door.

“…how much did you hear?”

“Only that my best friends are lying to me because you love sex so much you have to have it every night.”

“Not cool, Shay.”

“Says the girl that called all girls idiots if they put on make-up. Not that you’re wrong.”

Hunter was about to jump in but Lola silenced him with a hand, eyes full of hurt and pain as she didn’t move from in front of Shay. “I’ve tried to tell you like a bajillion times since school started again. But you get so mad and judgy. Hunter and Yael don’t have sex, but they don’t put everyone else having it on blast. …You two are still not doing it, right?”

“If we were, Yael probably would have asked you for outfit advice.”

“Oh shut up.”

Shay watched them, trying to figure out when Lola even became friends with them. Why she even became friends with them? They weren’t exactly Lola’s scene. Too nerdy and weird, shouldn’t Lola have been making fun of them. “So are you saying they’re better friends, because dating your best friend’s brother is almost as bad as dating your best friend’s crush.”

“Lola, Hunter, you two ready to-“ Frankie was at the door, it was time to get going but apparently there had been a hold up, here it was. “Hi Shay.”

“Frankie, you knew about Miles and Lola, and you were okay with it?”

“Not exactly… but we’re making it work. We thought about inviting you, but we weren’t sure you’d be okay with everything.” Frankie felt like she screwed up, big time.

“She wouldn’t be, given she decided to creep outside and listen to me, Hunter, and Yael instead of talking to me.” Lola had her serious face on. Shay wasn’t ready to back down just because Lola was all fired up.

“Don’t act all mature just because you let a guy get you pregnant on-” Shay’s words were interrupted by Lola’s palm across her face. “Lola?”

Lola seemed genuinely split on if that was the right move, but she didn’t give any ground. She stood at her full (tiny) height and glared at Shay. “You don’t get to judge me! You forget I exist, keep talking about Esme having sex as if I’ve never had any. Parade around with the only boy I’ve ever said I loved and acted hurt when I couldn’t be happy for you all the time! A boy you still haven’t introduced to your parents. I want you in my life, as my friend. But not if you keep treating me like this. Frankie got over it, why can’t you!?”

Shay realized somewhere in there Lola lost track of the audience they had. Shay watched her friend’s face, none of that was anger. It was pain, and it was sadness, and it was hurt. Months of hurt she’d gathered up, buried, and kept close to her heart. Shay was beginning to get why Lola was so mad, and how much of a self-conscious bitch she’s been. Pinning her own issues on her friend, even if her aim was to pin it on Esme. “Maybe we can go somewhere and talk.”

“My place, we still have some candy cane ice cream.” Frankie offered.

“Isn’t that weird, isn’t she going there to see Miles?”

“These freaks plan it out in advance,” Hunter offered.

Yael rolled her eyes, “What he means is some nights Lola is Frankie’s friend. Other night’s she’s…” Yael paused, she didn’t know what nomenclature was right, and glanced over to Frankie or Lola for help.

“Sometimes she’s Miles’s friend. With benefits.”

“My head hurts.” Shay offered, maybe she was better off not knowing. “Why is it all a big secret?”

“Cause Miles and I aren’t serious and people at school get all judgy when a girl who had an abortion gets too close to a boy,” Lola said it, bitter and angry this time. Before realizing that that reflected someone in the room, “Sorry Shay. Not you. Other judgy people who think they get to know about who I have sex with.”

“So… where will Miles be?”

“Vegas, a showgirl on each arm,” Miles said from the doorway, “Far away from this mess.”

Lola bloomed under the sudden arrival, ran over, and without any hint of subtlety or shame, kissed Miles for a few seconds. Shay was left wondering how that was good for any guy’s back. Frankie looked away, Hunter rolled his eyes. Only Yael could just unapologetically look on.

“What he means is poker night with Winston, Grace, and Zoe. Although I might sneak into his room for a little while if his parents aren’t back.”

Shay closed her eyes, “Okay, while I’m glad we’re all friends still, no details.”

“I’m glad I’m no longer the only one,” Frankie muttered. “Room for one more?”

Miles sighed, “Yeah, sure, it’s good you and Shay have small butts so you can share a seatbelt.”

“Thanks for noticing.” Frankie offered as she walked past, shoving her brother slightly as she moved. Hunter and Yael close after her.

Shay watched as Lola ran her fingers over Miles’s arm, “I’ll be just a sec.”

“Okay, you’re lucky you’re worth waiting for.”

Lola beamed again as Miles left, turning back to Shay, “This is right for me, okay? Please just… be there, when I need you?”

“I can manage that.” Shay figured this was the worst of it.

“You should also probably sleep on Frankie’s side of the bed. I usually smell like sex when I sneak back into her room.”

Teaching Lola how to stop sharing before she shares that thing nobody wants should be next on the agenda. Shay shook her head and followed, still kinda thankful for the warning. It took a few moments, “Wait, does this mean Miles was the dad?”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to find the right balance of emotions is hard guys. Why do I keep picking hard to write stuff? I clearly do not like my own sanity. Anyway. I might do a third and/or fourth one covering Miles and Lola’s perspectives. As this was definitely all about Shay’s feelings. Like the first one was all about Frankie.
> 
> It is ever so amusing that I thought I could walk away from this concept with just four chapters? Silly me.


	3. Bluffs and Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Poker Game among friends. Where friends is used loosely.

The best part of the evening was that Zig was down 40 dollars.

Sure, Miles was down 20, but Zig being the first to call it quits would fine by him, even if he lost.

“Okay Miles, if you lose this hand you also have to tell me how you’re okay after Tris dumped you,” Zoe said as she tossed some chips into the pot.

“What? He got to move closer to his former BFF Tori. I’m happy he’s reconnecting with her and getting the help he needs,” Miles answered causally as he checked his cards against the table.

“That,” Winston said, “And he and Hope are hooking up again.”

“Wait, again? He and Lola were hooking up before?” Zig asked before dumping his cards in the center of the table.

“Yes we hooked up before, and I have no idea where Chewie got this idea we’re hooking up now.” Miles lied, part of why he was good at gambling was his expert poker face.

“She’s had sleepovers with Frankie for weeks, multiple days a week. Either she’s sleeping with you or she’s sleeping with Frankie,” Winston said it, perked up, and glanced over to Zoe.

“She’s not sleeping with Frankie.” Zoe offered as she looked around the table, “What, if either of them were gay I’d think I’d know.”

Grace casually tossed a few chips into the pot and said nothing for a moment. “Not sure what the big deal is, Tristan left, date who you want.”

“Who says we’re dating?” Miles offered with a smile.

Zig smiled, but before he could move Grace jumped in again, “Novak if you hi-five him over that I will murder you. What do you mean not dating?”

Zoe threw a few more chips in the center, staring at Miles, “Raise. Oh, Miles, you’re doing what you did with me? With Lola?”

“I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t want to open our private life to a school that accused us of sleeping together when we were only friends,” Miles grumbled.

“That’s fair, but why not date her? You two are close, and for some reason she understands your damage.” Grace’s question distracted from the fact that Winston had just folded.

“Is it because of the baby?” Winston’s question was quickly met with Grace and Zoe slapping the back of his head, “What?”

“No, it isn’t that.”

“If they were to date, they would have to break up at some point.” Zoe guessed.   
Miles checked his cards again.

“That’s a little fucked up.” Grace added, seeming to seize on Zoe’s guess.

“That’s my life,” Miles seemed resigned to this fact, “I don’t want her at arm’s length, not like Maya or Tris.”

“Why not just be friends with her?” Grace said it, she asked, and then regretted it almost immediately.

“You’ve never seen Lola naked.” Miles reached over for his drink, while that line filtered across the table to everyone.

Zoe, who had seen Lola naked, agreed with Miles a little more than she wanted to say out loud.

“Still… that’s a little messed up, to use her like that.” Zig said, not realizing how much trouble that could get him into.

“Sometimes, Zigmund, girls are just as into using guys. Like in a park, with a camera phone.” Zoe said staring him down until he flinched. If he wasn’t already out on this hand he’d probably be now.

“Plus it was Lola’s idea.”

“Lola has ideas?” Winston offered, hoping the joke would help lift the table. It didn’t, because it was terrible.

“Let’s get our attention back on the game,” Zoe suggested, “I wanna see Ziggy need to borrow bus fare to get home.”

“Hey. Uncool.”

“I got one last question for Moneybags,” Grace said, “You like her, you care about her. You two, weirdly, make each other suck less.”

“Thanks Grace. What’s your point?”

“Do you love her? I mean, you wrote I.M. Hope for Tristan, but most of it was about her. All your rewrites had to do with Hope and Hero.”

Miles was quiet for a few moments, he eyed the pot, his cards, and the others at the table. As if he was distracting himself from the question. “Remember how I said I wanted to take all of Tris’s pain? I want to give Lola all of my happiness. Call. Anyone able to beat Queens over Aces?”

Grace and Winston groaned as they dropped their cards on the table. Zoe’s eyes didn’t leave Miles, trying to figure out at the very end if he was bluffing about that. “You have a tell, good to know. Don’t screw it up.”

He didn’t plan to. Not this time. Who wants to ruin hope?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I could have done this better, in hindsight but I'm not taking the time to edit this right now. This chapter is a little weaker because it had a lot more characters to balance.


	4. Questioned Motives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe and Grace have some concerns about this new relationship.

Lola flitted around the Cantina, moving from table and customer to table and customer. Bright and friendly and far too friendly. She came over to a table in the back, “What can I get you?”

Zoe and Grace compared notes for a moment, before Grace ordered, “Tamales, one coke one diet coke, and can you join us for a bit? When you take a break?”

“Um, sure… I’ll be right back.” Lola wondered what was up with them. Zoe wasn’t her friend really, not anymore. And while she liked Grace they weren’t really… alike. They had a few times they were both doing social justice things but that was it. Still, she had work, so she buried those concerns as she got her tables sorted, grabbed up the orders for Zoe, Grace, and herself, and settled in at the table.

“What’s up?” Lola was just as bouncy and bubbly, her concern for whatever this one vanished in the time she worked. It didn’t come back, she wasn’t really attentive to those things.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing,” Grace offered, she was being cagey. Lola’s worry was coming back.

Zoe rolled her eyes, “We know about you and Miles, Grace wanted to be sure you were okay with it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Lola wasn’t sure what their worry was. They weren’t really her friends and what business was it she and Miles were… whatever they were.

“Well, it’s just sex and you’re not really dating. I thought…” Grace started, then stopped. Suddenly realizing something, it played all over her face. Lola wasn’t sure what, but Grace got quieter, gave it a moment, then started over. “It just seems like a step back, going back to what you and Miles were doing.”

“We just want to know how you feel about doing this. If you’re really into it or just doing it because you like being liked?” Zoe corrected, Lola appreciated the directness. Zoe’s words and face matched perfectly. Clear and sincere.

“It isn’t just sex.” Lola corrected, and started on her food.

“You two… don’t date? You keep everything you do a secret from the school? I don’t think anyone that isn’t named Hollingsworth has seen you two together.” Zoe’s tone was a bit more accusatory than Lola expected.

“Everyone keeps butting in on my life. I’d like to hang out in public, maybe go on a date or two for fun,” Lola looked a little smaller as she answered, she suddenly was feeling outnumbered. She liked how she felt when she made the video, and how Yael hugged her for it. And how Frankie and Shay got over it. But it still hurt, the whispers and people at the school. “Are you concerned for me, or him?”

“How much do you love him?” Grace asked. Not Zoe, Lola wondered about that, it didn’t feel like Grace to say.

“I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to break up with him.” Lola was looking even smaller.   
Grace’s next words were cut off by a look from Zoe, “That’s all we want to know, be sure you and Miles aren’t being idiots. His track record is…”

“I would never hurt him.” Lola got a little larger with the words, suddenly that fight in her was back.

Grace and Zoe shared a look, Grace picked it up again. “We’re sorry. You and Miles just are doing something a little crazy.”

“More than a little.” Zoe added, Lola wasn’t sure what that meant.

“It’s weird, and nobody gets it. But does anyone get your friendship?”

The two shared a look, clearly Lola caught them on something.

“Do you think I’d do it if it didn’t make me happy?”

“You did the whole play even when Miles was terrible to you?” Grace said, that caught Zoe’s attention. Apparently Zoe didn’t know that.

“He needed me, and I liked that. Do you think anyone else could have been Hope? Do you think me leaving would have made either of us feel better?”

Zoe softened, the same way she did after all the Nudes stuff. The sudden weight of reality. Of seeing something more. Grace was looking away, it was weird seeing someone so scary so… unscary.

“I know what I’m doing. I want this, and when- if, if I want something else. Miles will know, and then the rest of the school in about ten minutes. Can we please talk about something other than the guy I’m screwing?”

“Sure.”

“Okay Blue. Let’s talk new projects, now that we’re done with the play we need something cool to do. Want in?”

Lola liked this. People that cared. Friends who saw her, even if she had to make them see. People that wanted to talk to her, wanted her around. So many more people recognized who she was, and not just her hair and name.


	5. Hindsight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and Lola have a conversation while they're alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is based on a request for “Lola and Miles talk about the abortion” but I decided to loop it into Dynamic because I hadn’t properly done a Mola chapter. Which is weird, cause it is a Mola fic. Even if Mola is not a ship.
> 
> Content note that nudity is in this chapter, but it goes undescribed because that's hardly the point of the chapter.

Miles watched, ogled if you wish to be accurate, Lola as she sauntered over to the other side of the room to dispose of the condom and clean herself up a little after… well, after what they did. Lola didn’t feel comfortable just patting herself dry with some of Miles’s dirty laundry (a trick he did to clean off). She didn’t get dressed, as she intended to just wander back over and cuddle up to him.

The condom was his idea, she insisted she was taking her pills right. He wanted to lower the chances she had to go through, well, what she did. And how everyone looked at her. “Lola?”

“Hmm?” Lola looked up for a moment before nestling herself against his side for a little while. Mrs. Hollingsworth was out for the weekend, so Lola didn’t have to sneak into Frankie’s room. Miles didn’t mind watching her go, and he didn’t begrudge her keeping her friendship with his sister. But he did enjoy having her here with him for the night.

“I’m sorry you had to ride a bus, alone, to go to…”

Lola studied his face, then answered the question not quite asked, “I wasn’t alone. Or on a bus. Yael got us an uber.”

“Yael went with you? Not Frankie or Shay?” He knew that thanks to her vlog, Lola had gotten a bit closer. But to take Lola to an abortion was a level of friendship he didn’t quite expect. Miles left his hand on the small of Lola’s back as she pressed into him. She was so easy to read when you looked at her, if you knew what to look for.

Didn’t work so well with her face pressed into his chest and looking away from him. “They started gossiping while I took the pregnancy test. In the bathroom with me. I didn’t want to tell them. Then after you blew me off because of the play Yael found me, she wanted to work on our history project at lunch, when she asked what was so important.”

Miles did not think it was possible to feel more guilt having sex with Lola now than he did the first time. But that story did it. Not for anything he did, but what he didn’t do. He saw Lola was in distress, but he figured someone else would help her, and how bad could it be. He forgot why they started doing this, because they were low on people to turn to.

“When I told her, she… was nice. She was yelling at me before, but it just went away. She didn’t try to tell me what to do, she held my hand when I was being told about the procedure. She almost went in with me but…” Lola trailed off at that, glancing up at Miles with those big brown eyes. She wasn’t angry or sad about this, there wasn’t anything bigger than just what happened. He couldn’t tell if that was because it was the past, or she knew what she did was right.

“Were you scared?” It seemed dumb, but nothing in Lola’s eyes said she was.

“Yes- no,” Lola sighed, which felt weird with her pressed into Miles like she was. “I was when I went in, when I got undressed and put on the gown. But once I was sitting in the chair, with the doctor explaining it to me. Once it was happening it was just… really uncomfortable.”

Miles guessed that Lola was talking about the physical aspect, not the emotional parts. She discussed how she felt afterwards on the vlog. Which he watched, he watched it about a dozen times to wrap his mind around what had happened. He just never drew up the courage to talk to her, like he used to. “Next time you need me to listen, to really listen. And I’m that much of a jerk. Feel free to swear at me, in Spanish. Loud as you want.”

Lola giggled, a wonderful sound that felt wonderful against his chest, she rolled over and drew his arm across her as she did. He could hear her smile as she nuzzled up against his arm. “I was going to kick you in the shin.”

“I trust that’ll only happen when I deserve it?”

“You have great shins,” that was accented by Lola’s toes dragging across his leg, “I wouldn’t want to damage them unless it was a last resort.”

Miles leaned over and kissed her ear. So she was a little odd, but he couldn’t have had better luck.


	6. Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunter's opinion hasn't been heard yet, so he's got a chapter talking with his sister.

Hunter wondered if he was better of when his parents were around, or if them being absent as often as not was the improvement. His father was… a mess, he loved him, he wanted him to care, but it was too much work to fight for it. And mom was now just out, leaving Miles to take care of his siblings, which… didn’t suck as much as it could. Still, being in his room with Yael, alone, and making out. That would never happen if mom spent more than three days a week at home.

“What time is it?” Yael finally asked, she quickly located a wall clock, “Shoot, she’ll be here soon. I have to go.”

“Your mom?”

“No, Lola, we’re thinking about doing a cosplay tutorial collab so we need a project to work on.” Yael got up and made sure she was presentable, mostly it meant button her blouse up again. Hunter eyed her, as much as he appreciated the efforts Lola brought to All Inclusive, and certain physical features that were… distracting.

How did that little idiot get her way into every person around him? What changed between her and Yael that lead to their sudden friendship. Two months ago they couldn’t stand each other. Yael kept making comments about Lola intellect and school work, Lola would either sulk (to great impact) or ask her about her wig. She’s sleeping with Miles, still friends with Frankie? Those two details are mutually exclusive. 

If anyone was in the sphere of one, the other immediately declared them dead. It happened with every friend of Frankie’s who slept with Miles, and Winston when he did the opposite. Lola somehow managed to lie to Frankie about seeing Miles, get pregnant, get an abortion, earn Frankie’s respect. Then talk her into maintaining their friendship. He got a boner for someone Miles had boned, grossest of gross.

And the worst part,  _ the worst part _ , he didn’t hate Lola’s existence. It should be easy, he’s wired for hate. It was all he had for so long but at the same time… she makes Frankie better, she makes Miles better. She somehow improved All Inclusive and all she’s good at is make-up and clothes? Worthless things. He found her, in a word, vexing.

Hunter headed down to the kitchen for a drink. Yael was out, but at least Lola was also out. Between his two siblings she had been here more nights a week than she wasn’t. So the time without her was perfect.

“You’re between me and the fridge,” Frankie was leaning against the counter, “You were spaced out. Something happen with Yael?”

“She’s out with Lola.”

“Right, cosplay stuff.” Frankie apparently knew, Lola probably told her. That close a link, with someone so loose on sensitive information could be dangerous. “So what’s bothering you?”

“How do you deal with Lola and Miles…” Hunter fidgeted a little with his soda can, “You know.”

“Screwing?”

“ _ Talking _ . How do you deal with them comparing notes?” Hunter didn’t like his information so… out of his control. He hated that feeling, he hated his life being decided by inferior players. He rebuilt his trust with Yael, he didn’t want to lose that again. And he was worried.

“Ohh. You’re afraid Yael and Lola being friends,” Hunter also hated his sister was starting to understand him. He missed it while they were so different, but now they had become more alike. It now he missed his isolation. “Don’t you trust your girlfriend?”

“Of course… Lola’s the one I’m not sure about. Which is why I want to know, what makes her relationship with Miles okay to you?”

“Lola’s… good.”

“That’s it, that’s all you got? She’s an idiot, she can only manage in school with help from you, Shay, and Miles and even then she’s only average.”

“No, not good at things,  _ Good _ .” Frankie sat down. “Lola is an idiot, and weird, and tell her she’s getting roots and she cries. But Lola doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. She tries, and tries, and she does everything she can. It isn’t much, but that doesn’t really change. When Lola says ‘You look fat in that’ or ‘that color looks ugly on you’ that’s just her trying to… help. Like when you told got angry at me for hanging out with Lola and Shay when Zoe booted me from the team.”

Hunter eyed his sister, if this was accurate he might owe Lola at least the benefit of the doubt. He wasn’t quite sure though, Lola seemed more capable than that. But at the same time Lola felt like a moron. So… maybe? This didn’t help. “And that’s enough?”

“She’s also my first friend to sleep with Miles and stay. That means a lot. Hell, I wasn’t even sleeping with Jonah and I kinda abandoned her.”

“It came up, with the vloggers.” Hunter admitted, “You had cancelled on her to try and get Jonah back. She was in the vlog room with us, she may have screamed at her phone.”

“In Spanish?”

“Oh yeah.”

“She only does that when she’s really mad. She never told me…” Frankie held her head for a moment. 

Hunter could see his sister beat herself up, she was pretty good at that. Not quite the expert Miles was at his worst, but she held her own. He considered her a moment, “You really care about her.”

“Of course, if whatever this thing with Miles is makes her happy. I want it for her.” Frankie didn’t even hesitate. Hunter hadn’t seen that from his sister. Not recently, not with all her Jonah things. That boy messed her up, second guessing things worse than ever. Or, Frankie messed herself up, Hunter wasn’t sure which.

Hunter had to consider, Yael had never had many female friends. She was always… one of the guys. The closest she got was Vijay, and that really wasn’t the same. Yael had told him about their trip, he didn’t know how Yael managed. He couldn’t have. And after that the two had seriously increased their friendship rank. All their collab work and projects together, often due to Shay and Frankie picking each other. “Thanks, sis, this actually helped. For once.”

Frankie was still leaning on her fist, “Is this relationship really messed up?”

“Yeah, it is. But that covers us with dad, mom, each other, Miles, my friends, your friends, your exes…” Hunter stopped, shoved Frankie playfully, and offered her the container of ice cream.

“Let’s binge ice cream to our first world problems.”

“Never call it that again.”


	7. Home (Part 1 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is dealing with Momma Hollingsworth and the new family line-up at home. It's mostly benign but I gave her some less-than-PC opinions on things.
> 
> This chapter goes hand in hand with Chapter 8 (Away).

It was so nice having dinner with all four of her kids. Now she was aware she had only three kids, but Lola had been here so often she felt kind of like a second daughter. Other than the abortion, the hair, and comments about clothes and politics she was the perfect child. Far less belligerent than Frankie when she got into a mood, no drug use, no cyber harassment.

Still, she had to wonder why she was here. Lola loved her father, no mother to speak of (explains quite a lot), but she seemed to enjoy her home life. So why was she here. She was friendly with both boys, but it didn't feel like she was with either of them. Miles flirted, but he always flirted with girls. And guys. Lola smiled and acted kindly to him, but it didn't feel like anything else.

And she was here more than Mrs. Hollingsworth saw. The take-out orders had gotten a little larger, about as much as a girl watching her figure would eat. And there were signs someone was cooking. In this kitchen. Not something her children did. Lola's family owned a restaurant, she spoke of cooking often. She could offer tips on spices and temperatures, which was good as Mrs. Hollingsworth was not used to cooking too often. She was a useful assistant, the few times cooking happened in that pristine kitchen.

There was something going on between the four of them, what was the question. However Mrs. Hollingsworth was willing to let it go. Hunter was on his meds, Miles wasn’t on anyone else’s meds, Frankie wasn’t dating a musician. Hunter wasn’t acting out, so Yael was keeping him in line. Good on her. Frankie wasn’t pregnant, Miles wasn’t moping about Tristan anymore. Could it really be so bad?

***

Later that night, Mrs. Hollingsworth was still up. She missed her time to take her pill, so she would be up for the night. She was usually better on this, like clockwork. Lola was sleeping over again. Mrs. Hollingworth had asked Frankie if this was a ‘phase’ like the one her brother was having. Frankie was properly disgusted, she’s so glad only one of her children is so… unique. She sat in her room, reading, door open. Miles’s door opened, then closed. It made a little extra noise from an ‘incident’ between Miles and his father. Shower turned on.

That was unusual. It was 1 AM. Why would Miles be getting a shower? Mrs. Hollingsworth headed into the hallway. She didn’t open any of the doors, listening for the little noises a mother knows of her kids. Light flickered under the frame of Hunter’s door, he was probably gaming well into the morning. She might call him on it as a pretense to check on the other three.

Miles’s light was on, unlike the strobing colors of Hunter’s computer it was a single solid point of light. Miles could be handwriting out ideas, or reading something. While he’s in the bathroom getting a shower. Unless it was someone else, Miles had said he was working on himself. But he’s said that before and gotten girls into his room, fairly easily. She’d never located all the routes Miles used to move people in and out of the house. As the shower cut off, Mrs. Hollingsworth slipped back to her room and watched the hall.

Lola bounced from the bathroom back to Frankie’s room, bubbly and dimwitted. Not really a new look on her, maybe Miles opened his door for another reason. Or Frankie had something to ask of him. The two had grown closer since her Miles left, ever since that day the three had all become a lot more cooperative. It would have been nice if their schemes weren’t a constant source of scandal and trouble. Still, she’ll worry in the morning.

She’ll spend the night reading until she gets to sleep.

***

Mrs. Hollingsworth entered the kitchen to the smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. This might have been why she didn’t mind Lola, it was like having a live-in maid again. The apron she had on was her own, the fact that it matched her hair said as much, “Good morning! I made coffee, breakfast will be on the table in one moment.”

Where did this girl find her energy, what would she do when she’s old and doesn’t have it. “When did you learn to cook?”

“Um… dad had one of his prep chefs start teaching me when I was twelve? He’d spend the morning getting the Cantina open so one of his evening cooks took a little extra cash to help me get ready for school. She was great.” Mrs. Hollingsworth recognized how Lola could glide around the room, that was the energy she saw in newlyweds. Or attentive mothers, her mom did that. She was older, a little slower, but just as excited to make food for people she cared about. 

Lola had made her own food first, picking at it as she worked on plating and setting the others. Frankie probably had her’s finished second, it was also eggwhite. As opposed to the boys who didn’t worry about that. There might have been a little guilt, in the back of her mind she realized she couldn’t tell the other differences. Lola had used different ingredients in each plate, so she knew what Miles, Hunter, and Frankie appreciated in a meal better than she did.

“Smells good,” Miles walked in and leaned in to kiss Lola on the forehead, “Mom, adopt her, she’s the only one of us that can cook.”

Lola smiled at the praise and the kiss, dropping some bacon on Miles’s plate before handing it to him. Miles grabbed the utensils and set them at each place on the table.

“That’d be weird, Miles,” Frankie offered as she bounced in and grabbed her plate, “I wanted a sister. But if Lola and I have to share the same bathroom we’d kill each other.”

“You two already share a bathroom.” Hunter got in last, but he was up so that was an improvement. He grabbed his plate and stopped, grumbled a quiet thanks to Lola and headed over to sit down.

“Speaking of, were one of you getting a shower last night?”

All four froze at once. Like someone pressed pause on breakfast. Miles shot a few glances to people. Hunter kept his eyes set on his food, slowly starting to eat like it wasn’t his problem. They were definitely in on this together.

“Sorry, if I can’t sleep I work out. I didn’t feel like climbing into bed with Franks all sweaty,” Lola played with her lip between her teeth. It would explain how Lola kept in shape eating like this. She also worked, also the curse of youth to just burn things off.

“I don’t mind, I was just curious. Is this why you have a small thing of bodywash here?” She had noticed, but it didn’t seem like that much of a thing. She was a very particular girl. Now… something still felt off about all this. “What do you do.”

“Sit-ups, jumping jacks, squats.” Lola didn’t sit at the table, eating from her plate lounging around the kitchen.

One of the three siblings choked on their food, Mrs. Hollingsworth wasn’t sure which or why, but Lola said something that was funny. “Anyway, sit down, I’ll have one of them deal with the dishes after school.”

Lola took a seat by Miles to eat. Curious, but there was no seat next to Frankie. Breakfast was, normal. Not Hollingsworth normal, actually normal. No snide comments about their father, no blow ups or scandals, just… a family. No wonder Mrs. Hollingsworth couldn’t trust it. She watched casually, spying on them was second nature. All of them lied and hid things, she wanted to trust them but why would she.

Hunter headed to the car first, Lola and Frankie gossiped and rambled in ways only teenage girls were truly capable of. Lola as animated and alive as ever, where did she keep that energy? And then Frankie headed out to the car. And Miles put a small footstool by the wall. Lola smiled, the way a girl smiles for a husband or lover, and hopped up for some gentle, loving, kisses. It all made a lot more sense, and no sense at all. 

Did Frankie not notice, she must have noticed. Miles barely talked about this girl, how long have they been keeping this secret? ...At the same time, she wasn’t drugs, he wasn’t spiraling out of control. And she could cook. Being a girl was a good bonus, as was the further proof of Frankie not being into girls. Mrs. Hollingsworth headed back to the kitchen and poured another cup of coffee. “Well, the kids haven’t been arrested. I’ll just leave this be.”


	8. Away (Part 2 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayor Hollingsworth is keeping an eye on his family.
> 
> Second part to Home.

“Sir, your polling numbers?”

“Thanks,” Mayor Hollingsworth glanced over the data. Down, again. He managed to do a lot of good for his popularity over the summer. He might be under the weight of his separation, but being there for his gay son and his comatose boyfriend was great for sympathy. Brought in numbers for the 18-25, the LGBT vote, and even the parents. Being seen as a monster hurt among women, men in his situation saw him as the victim. Smart of them. “How are my kids?”

“Sir?”

“Is there anything in their life I can use for my numbers?”

He fumbled with his phone and scanned through notes, “Not that I can see. If anything your son will just hurt your numbers.”

Miles Hollingsworth the Second sighed, “Give me the relevant information. Then you take some of other staffers to brainstorm getting my numbers up.”

***

Mayor Hollingsworth stalked around his office, the one in his house. He needed some papers anyway, and decided he could show up and take them. But that wasn’t what was bothering him. He’d decided, after his election was nearly tanked by Frankie’s stupid cheerleading friends stripping for cash, to keep closer tabs on his kids and their social circles.

Hunter was the most dangerous person in his own circle, unless he decided to take after his brother and start dating boys. Vijay would not get nearly the positive response as Tristan did. Yael and Baaz were harmless campaign wise, nothing to make a splash with, but nothing that would sink him.

His selfish, idiot heir was as much a threat as any of his friends. Any good grace he could make offering help and shelter to a teen kicked out of her home by a well meaning mother is tarnished by past rape allegations she threw at his former intern, Drew Torres. It would only come off as a bribe. Mr. Chu of course was a perpetual charity of Miles, but was harmless. And he had hopes for Maya Matlin, putting her in connection with the right orchestras and social circles would look good. She would have been a fantastic piece of arm candy for Miles, provided they stayed dressed when in public. Her suicide attempt makes her too dangerous to try and use that way.

And Frankie was still friends with two girls from the Degrassi Nudes fiasco, she’d dumped the boy who clearly had a drug history. If Shay made it to the olympic team, hiring a few photographers to catch her out with Frankie would be perfect. Lola, however, painted the story of a sexually promiscuous wetback who already had one abortion in her life. Who shared her abortion with the world instead of hiding it, what sort of idiotic move was that?

Of course between the two options, Miles would pick the one that couldn’t make for a good spin. Shay would have been perfect, why couldn’t his son have started seeing her. Instead he picks Lola. And while they did seem to be keeping out of the public light, which was a blessing, it could blow up if Lola made any more mistakes. And if Lola was that good at hiding her relationship with one boy, how many others could she be seeing. Mayor Hollingsworth only discovered this through some of the security cameras at his house. Outside of that there was no trace of their involvement.

“What are you doing here?” Miles the third was standing in the hall, voice low. Next to him, the Mayor spotted a small face framed in blue hair, attempting to hide in a doorway.

“I needed some legal documents that I keep in the safe. And this is still my house, so I do not need your permission to be here.” His son may have gotten on the right track, but he had managed that so many times before only to fail. He was not king of this castle yet. “But while you’re here, can we talk about your friend?”

“What about her?” Miles the younger held a hand out and Lola slipped from her space beside him. There was something about the way she stared, the look of a girl who didn’t know how the world work. Or her place in it.

“I appreciate you two keeping a low profile, please try not to draw any extra attention?”

“That was dangerously close to you paying me a compliment.”

“Watch your tone, Miles. If the press picks up you two are… an item. It could turn bad, especially if they think you were the father of her terminated pregnancy.”

Lola’s eyes narrowed, that look the Mayor was used to from women. When did they learn such a look.

Miles sighed, “Right, wouldn’t want that happening. Anything else?”

“Thank you for keeping your name out of the papers. At least since Tristan’s accident.”

“Let’s go,” Lola’s tone was calm and soothing, complete contrast to the glare she gave Mr. Hollingsworth on their way out. Miles was his usual spoiled self-centered self, unable to take the compliment he earned.

***

“He’s unbelievable. As if he has the right to spy on everyone in our lives.” Miles was pacing, an action Lola hadn’t seen from him. He had never been quite this… livid. Not since that hallway he was destroying. She’d heard stories, from Frankie and others, the whispers of the halls. Rumors he started that fire, talk of how he wrecked Dallas’s car. 

He was so tuned up from a brief run-in with his dad, he had hardly noticed her take off her pants and curl up on his bed. “How did he find out about us?”

“I don’t know, we were careful. Possibly some of the house’s security,” Miles sat down, “...When did you lose your pants?”

“I thought it might get your mind off things.”

Miles smiled and kissed Lola on the cheek. “Thanks, but I think we’re not going to be doing much tonight.”

“I know, you have Egyptian cotton sheets.” Lola smiled, that was a much better distraction. “He almost said something nice, and you didn’t blow up at him. I didn’t either.”

“But you never get mad.”

“I get mad all the time, people don’t notice it because I’m cute and short.”

“You got mad at my dad?”

“He was acting like my abortion was any of his damn business. The way he was looking at me was terrible too, I felt like he was-”

“Picking apart everything about you?”

Lola nodded.

“He’s big on image, your hair, your clothes, he views all of it as something for him to worry about. Isn’t it fun standing next to me?” Miles smiled, it didn’t have any happiness in it.

Lola wasn’t smiling, she still felt… wronged, somehow. And really greatful her dad never looked at her like that. He never took her apart, weighed her as a bunch of pros and cons, looked at her in little pieces. He just loved her. “I’m sorry your dad is crap.”

“...You keep saying stuff like that, I might end up loving you more than I do.”

Lola kissed him on the cheek before stripping off her shirt, it could join her pants on the floor. “We’re just curling up, but your sheets are really soft!”

Miles let his shirt join the rest of the clothes on the floor, as he pulled Lola in close. He was glad for the distraction, and the hug. He’d forgotten what that anxiety felt like, at least Lola was a better treatment. Even if she was twice as addictive. “Don’t tell Franks he was here, it’d only upset her.”

“...Okay.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the request was for a chapter for either parent, I came up with ideas for both. However while balancing Mrs. Hollingsworth was rather easy (a bit opinionated and self-involved... but otherwise loves her kids) finding the right balance between egomaniac bastard and occasionally sorta maybe cares about his kid was a lot harder for Mayor Hollingsworth.
> 
> I also didn't enjoy writing from his POV, hence the shift to Miles III POV in the last part of the fic. I feel like one of the next few chapters should be someone ENTIRELY removed from the pair. So either a Baaz, or Tiny, or Esme chapter.


	9. Define Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lola's heart isn't in the same place as Miles, but she has a friend she can talk to about it.

Lola sat in the corner of the Cantina patio staring at the table, not so intently as to burn a hole in it. But just the vacant empty stare of a mind far away from a body. Thoughts too big, so big they shoved the waking mind out as everything went into dissecting and working them into a more manageable size. A reasonable size for anyone to deal with. The worst part is it was always the simplest of big things that did it to Lola, so easy, and so simple she could never understand it.

“Hello, Lola? Are you in there?”

Lola, nearly fell off the bench as her eyes came into focus on head of curly short hair and one of the kindest faces she knew. Big thoughts still working, but Lola was at least in there right now, “Oh, hi Rasha.”

“Are you alright? You seem very out of it. I wanted to be sure you were okay.”

“Yes.” Lola lied, badly. Even she could hear the apprehension and pause there, obvious signs. Rasha’s eyes said she didn’t believe that word. “Did Zoe tell you?”

“I’m sorry, Zoe tells me a lot of things.”

“About me and Miles.”

“Oh!” Rasha sat down, “I told her that what you two do is your business, and she shouldn’t have told me if you two are keeping it a secret. But then I asked her to tell me everything because you two are the cutest!”

Lola always appreciated Rasha’s energy, the pair could go a mile a minute about things everyone else ignored. Only person in the school that could keep up with her. “I’m worried Miles is in love with me.”

“But you two are seeing each other. You don’t love him?” Rasha probably felt this was a language barrier, and it was, but Lola realized she wasn’t explaining it right.

“I love him, I love him so much but I mean ‘in love.’ like…” Lola tried to grab an example that wasn’t Kimye.

“Like forever in love. Like a Troy and Gabriella?”

It took Lola a moment to remember how much Rasha loves High School Musical. “Yeah… like, meant to be ‘in love.”

Rasha nodded, but she still looked at Lola like she wasn’t making sense, “Why are you acting like that would be bad, unless... “ Suddenly it was clear Rasha both understood, but didn’t approve.

“I… I didn’t want to fall in love with him the first time.” Lola started answering the unasked question, “But I did, and it hurt when he said we couldn’t even be friends anymore. Being around, helping his play, being Hope was a nice way to work through what was left.”

“But you are afraid. If you go there again, and it does not work out…” Rasha mused, bridging the gap, falling silent as she saw the fear in Lola’s eyes.

Lola hated her fear, she couldn’t hide it, not like others could. If she was afraid everyone knew she was afraid. She played with an earring lightly as she dug up her voice, and made sure it was English. “I can’t keep being everyone’s second choice. Miles only came back because Tris left, and I do love him. Like, I really really love him, I’d give him a kidney, or give up my favorite bra for him! Not that he’d need it, and it’d be a weird ransom if I had to trade a bra for his life… the point is I love him but…”

“I think I understand. Except, why are you with him?”

“He… he may have completely ditched me for Tris when he woke up. But he still needs me, and he still sees more of me than anyone else does,” Although Lola was beginning to make a list of other people that see her. All of this had helped Shay and Frankie see her too. Rasha definitely saw more than the ditzy bubblegum haired screw up everyone else saw.

To that point, Rasha squeezed Lola’s hand. “Having someone recognize you for who you are is the best feeling in the world. But be honest, you are in it for the sex.” Rasha’s smile went from understanding to playful, a smooth transition like swiping through photos on your phone. Lola giggled a little, and nodded at the idea.

“I know you’re not interested in boys, but yeah, he’s really great to me in bed. And afterwards he always cuddles and stays awake for it.” Lola worried her lip a bit, “Do you want to, um, come over and watch some TV with me? I just want some space from Miles and everyone, and since you already kno-

Rasha hugged the smaller girl before she could finish talking herself out of the activity. “I have wanted to hang with you ever since the play! You just always seem to have so much going on. I would love to.”

Lola smiled into Rasha’s shoulder and just enjoyed the hug a few extra moments. Lola noted, idly, Rasha was very good at hugs, clearly Lola had to keep her around for more of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a part of what makes this pair (Miles and Lola) messy is their desires. Miles wants the support, but Lola wants the feeling of coming first. Lola's story is full of people putting her second. And that's clearly had an impact on her, even in 305 when she goes to Miles. She goes to him knowing he will put Tristan first (with maybe some dark hope he doesn't).
> 
> So this chapter was all about exploring the distinction in Lola's head between 'loving' someone and being 'in love' with someone. Which to me, would be a line Lola would carefully mark so as to avoid it. It took her eight months to fall 'in love' with Tiny, and two seconds for Tiny to blow that up in her face. I doubt she'd want to repeat that with anyone, ever. Let alone a guy who already placed her second. But... she still loves him, she loves Miles and wants to be around him.
> 
> Thus her dilemma, and I'll probably explore this a bit more in upcoming chapters. My loose plan is to do a Miles and Winston chapter, then a second Lola and Rasha chapter. Then probably something Frankie or Shay centered now that they're used to this.


	10. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe, Miles, and Winston having a little chat about things.

“I think your screwbuddy is stealing my girlfriend.” Zoe said as she came back into the room, slipping her phone in her pocket.

“Okay you lost me somewhere in that paranoid thought. Maybe start from the beginning?” Miles asked, glancing to Chewy for any assistance. Of course he wasn’t any help.

“I called Rasha to see if she wanted to hang, she’s out with Lola again.” Zoe took a seat in the Hollingsworth living room like a visiting noble, elegant and every motion controlled for effect. Ever the showman. She didn’t seem too worried, just making more spectacle.

“The two were pretty close during the play,” Miles mused, “Of course it wasn’t much of a surprise, Grace, Jonah, and I don’t really get excited.” He didn’t seem overly worried about this turn of events. Lola was pretty capable at befriending people without much effort. Shown by the fact she befriended all of them without them noticing it happened.

“You aren’t really concerned, right?” Winston asked, a hesitance to the idea.

“Not really, I was just wondering if the resident Lola expert had any idea about this.”

Miles eyed Zoe for a moment, “Lola has shared no plans to seduce your girlfriend. She has shared a few plans to seduce you if you’re interested.” His smirk made it clear nothing in that statement could be trusted.

“I’m serious, Why does Lola need to spend time with my girlfriend?” Zoe’s posture shifted a little, less controlled, more anger rolling off her shoulders.

“Because Frankie doesn’t want to watch any more romance movies? Not without burning Jonah in effigy?” Which Miles was amused to find Frankie doing once. Winston looked like a caged animal as Miles made the joke, “You didn’t hurt her enough for that. Just made her hate you.”

“I feel so much better.”

“I guess I don’t really do the romance movie thing.” Zoe grudgingly agreed.

“You also complain about the casting.”

“And how weird it is doing scenes with the camera that close.”

“And sometimes hate on how they deliver the lines.”

“Okay, I get it, I’m a bad movie date.” Zoe sat up and collected herself, her mood changing to an icy discontent. A throwback to a Zoe from days past. “Let’s move on. Anyone have anything new.”

“Dad knows about me and Lola. I think mom knows too.”

“How’d that happen?” Winston was the first to jump in.

“Well, mom does live here, it was bound to happen. Dad apparently spies on all of us.”

“Creepy, but practical.”

“Zoe please stop appreciating the evil genius that is my dad.”

“Sorry.”

“What else happened?” Winston asked, trying to steer away from that.

“Lola managed to hate him from meeting him once,” Miles smiled, a dubious look for what he said, “Honestly I don’t think I could love her more.”

Zoe and Winston exchanged a look.

“I don’t speak the secret blink code of the student council.”

“Well, Lola’s…” Winston started, then turned to stare at Zoe. “You see…”

“Lola’s sweet. You two however a slow moving nuclear explosion.” Zoe ripped the bandaid off, “You two do this… thing, it isn’t meant to last. The whole casual screwing thing. But you keep going closer to ‘true love’ and it makes me uneasy.”

“That why you and Grace ambushed her at work?” Miles asked flatly.

“Well… yeah… we’re worried about both of you. After everything. And with May-”

Winston’s eyes went wide as he tried to wave Zoe off that.

“We make each other better. And I definitely like myself better with Lola in my life. And I wish, more than anything, Maya had someone like Lola looking out for her.” Miles was a stone wall about that. Maya was a sore topic for him. For everyone really, Zoe was a bit more willing to push boundaries for a point. Not to the degree of Esme, who waited a few  _ days _ before her first suicidal Maya joke. “I can’t figure talking with Dad would have gone better if Lola wasn’t here for it.”

“So how’s your mom handling you and Lola?” Winston tried to get things away from the obvious minefield.

“Lola makes breakfast.”

“And she doesn’t have you on horse tranquilizers.”

“And she doesn’t have me on horse tranquilizers.”

“So your mom just… hasn’t put a halt to you screwing Lola?” Zoe asked, not covering her envy at the idea. A mother who just accepts.

“She hasn’t said anything. Mom doesn’t come home much. I think she has a boyfriend and she’s decided not to judge me for anything she’s actively doing.” Miles wandered off to the kitchen. “I do have one complaint about your girlfriend stealing Lola.”

Zoe rolled her eyes, “What?”

“We have to get take-out tonight.”

Winston’s face met his palm as he tried not to laugh at the sudden change of pace.

Zoe considered a moment, “...Maybe I should see how Rasha feels about sharing.”

Winston’s endeavors to keep from laughing failed at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is all about showing where Miles is. Miles and Lola are not on the same page, Miles isn't quite 'in love' yet but he's getting there. Naturally I felt showing off a little of Zoe's feelings about the Lola Rasha friendship was a good play here. Winston strictly is comic relief to add to the scene.
> 
> I'm thinking about using some elements from NC4 in the last few chapters. I'm thinking that when I get to Chapter 16 this fic will be done. Not too sure (the elements are Goldi/Winston and Frankie/Esme/Zig).
> 
> Random aside, because I'm not sure how to fit Maya into the plot, she's having an extended out of school rehab program where she'll also get school credits to graduate.


	11. Vultures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Esme stirs a little trouble for Shay.

“So Shay, what’s it like your friend stealing Miles away from Tristan?” Esme asked as she swooped in and found her way into Zig’s lap.

Shay instead shoots a look to Tiny, “Don’t look at me, I didn’t tell either of them.”

“And what’s it like that now she’s set her sights on Rasha?” Esme’s expression was cool and collected. That she knew was information nobody had. And Esme relished the surprise and confusion. “Oh, did little Lola never tell you about that?”

“They were both in the play together, they’re friends.” Shay answered weakly. Shay was still Lola’s friend, she trusted her just… with Tiny, and now Miles? She couldn’t rule out Lola’s track record. And unlike the rest of the room, she knew something about Lola the others didn’t.

“Plus Rasha’s a girl, and Lola’s not a dyke,” Zig added, ever so helpfully.

“Well…” Tiny started, saw the look on Shay’s face, quickly shut up.

“Ohh, interesting, maybe I should flirt with her,” Esme offered.

“Hey,” Zig finally tried to put Esme back on track.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll let you watch.”

And Zig was immediately back to supporting Esme’s terrible nature. Great.

“I have to go,” Shay quickly grabbed her stuff and headed for the door. She got out of the house and down the steps before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Tiny had followed, of course he had.

“How could you tell them?”

“I swear I didn’t, but the rumor has been getting around. Come back in, Esme was trying to rile you up, and my boy is just an idiot.”

“But… what if they’re right? What if Lola just likes stealing people.”

“Tristan wasn’t really around for Miles, and Moneybags’s play made it clear he went through a lot.” Tiny wasn’t the biggest fan of Eldest Hollingsworth, but even he could see the guy was suffering after the crash. All this posting, all that crap he did in school, the play? Tiny was super glad he didn’t put Shay through that.

“And you?”

“What about me?”

“You asked Lola out, when we had a- whatever we were!” Shay had never really brought her issues with Lola and Tiny up with Tiny. Just Lola and her throwback picture, or during that party last term. “She just wiggled her butt and you were all over her.”

“You turned me down, what was I suppose to do? Lola’s always been sweet, you know how she is. She was fun to spend time with. But if you hadn’t turned me down that would have been us,” There wasn’t any defensiveness or anger in Tiny’s voice, he just was stating how they played out. How he got over it as quickly as it happened, and then when Shay was available to be with, he came back. “Lola didn’t steal me, you let me go. And you didn’t steal me, either. Lola broke up with me when I liked you. Probably…”

“Because of her mom.” Shay and Lola were closer than blood, Lola’s said that before. But even Shay only had half a picture of what Lola’s mom was like. They met after the woman left, Lola mentioned her mom, stuff she sent, money she provided. But never talked about the woman herself. Shay just knew Lola looked so put out whenever a parent event happened. Her dad was the best, but… he was a dad.

“Do you trust your girl?”

“What?”

“Lola, do you trust she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“...yes.”

“So do you really see her stealing Rasha from Zoe?”

“...No, Esme’s just… making things worse than they are. Lola’s friends with everyone.” It was probably what Shay loved, and hated, most about her friend. She could just make friends with anyone at any time. No matter how weird it was, she did it. And Shay wished she was that good at meeting people.

“Esme’s crazy, she’s trying to make you crazy too, let’s go back inside and ignore her crap.”

“Okay… but, how did you know about Lola?”

“That she likes ladies too? Have you heard her talk about Gal Gadot?” Tiny was sure somewhere in there Lola crossed that thin line between adoration and desire.

Shay laughed, “My girl has the sickest crush on Wonder Woman. Yeah, she told me when we were twelve when she was making a list of all the kids she had crushes on in middle school. And some of them were girls.”

“Were you?”

“Oh, definitely not. We were friends, she’s very clear on not falling in love with her friends. At least she was back then… who knows with her now.”

Tiny put his arm around Shay, “Maybe ask her.”

“I really don’t want to know if she does. That’d just make it all weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a chapter all about where Shay is in her life, not as much about Lola. I mean Lola's mentioned but I had some Shay related things I felt I could get away with. I also wanted Esme to start some trouble, because she's Esme and that's important to me.


	12. Movie Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not actually a Date.  
> This is Lola and Rasha watching movies.

“How have I never seen this before, Zac Efron is so cute before he got all muscly and handsome.”

“I thought everyone in the west had seen this.”

Lola shook her head, “I was too into the cartoon Disney stuff to give their live action stuff a try. I didn’t like Hannah Montana until she made Wrecking Ball.”

Lola and Rasha had spent the past couple weeks watching movies. Another relationship to delicately balance with the vloggers, her friends, and Miles. Rasha, however, was very easy to spend time with. They were too alike for Lola to fall for, but it was nice to have an escape. The best part, of all things, was they had the same taste in movies. Tonight, however, Rasha finally got Lola to admit a deep dark secret.

Lola had never actually watched any of the High School Musicals. She merely knew what she did from trolling social media and listening to a few songs. But here they were in the middle of High School Musical 2. “So… Sharpay or Gabriella?”

“Hmm?” Rasha answered no idea what the question Lola had was, “When you first watched this, which was the one you had a crush on?”

“Ohhhh, Taylor. I mean if it is just between those two then totally Sharpay.” Rasha smiled down at Lola who had tucked herself up against Rasha’s side. It would be weird if she hadn’t seen Lola do that with basically anyone. Lola craved physical contact more than most. “And you?”

“Um, Ryan, or Kelsi. I mean if we’re going by just the actors definitely Kelsi.” Lola answered absentmindedly to what she was revealing. Lola was still very in the closet but at the same time not ashamed. It was hard to be ashamed of her orientation after exposing her abortion to the world.

“You were setting off my gaydar before! I thought it was Grace.” Rasha pushed Lola playfully as the movie moved on. Rasha wasn’t sold on if she and Zoe were going to be a thing, so she did look at some of the other girls in the school. And after, just because it was nice to know who else was gay.

“Nope, me. Grace is the least gay person in the school. I don’t get why everyone thinks she is.” Lola mused. Sure she was all scary and leatherclad but Lola saw how Grace looked at people, it always felt like a distant longing more than a specific desire. “I just don’t talk about it much. Dad would get over it but unless I-”

“Unless you meet a girl you do not want to ruffle any feathers. I understand.” That was the other great thing about Rasha, and why Lola definitely wanted this as a friendship. Shay and Franks were in the ‘just come out, nobody cares anymore’ but they don’t see how much Miles suffered. They didn’t see the way Zoe started acting ever since she moved in with Grace. There were all these things they didn’t get. “Wait, does this mean this is a date?”

Lola shot up like a rocket and bounced a foot back on the sofa from Rasha. The movement was startling for both girls that it removed the playful little smirk from Rasha’s face for a moment, “Please don’t joke about that, I’ve already been labeled a homewrecker twice.”

“Twice?”

“Shay and I liked Tiny at the same time, but I dated him first.”

“He did not seem like your type, or rather you do not seem like a dolphin.”

Lola fell off the sofa laughing so hard. Rasha’s delivery was so flat about it and she’s only been here half a year. Yet even she can see Tiny’s obsession with dolphins is a thing. Lola crawled back onto the couch and back up onto Rasha’s side, smiling at the joke still.

“So… are you feeling better, about Miles.”

“I-” Lola started, stopped, and thought about it. “I think so. What are you planning on doing when Zoe graduates?”

Both of them had the same problem awaiting them in a month. They were dating a senior. Rasha’s school transcript was full of holes due to either lacking documents, or just not having the same system of requirements as they did in Canada. So as much as she should be graduating she would be spending at least another half-semester with them at Degrassi.

“Zoe is looking at colleges near Toronto, at worst she will be a few hours away in New York. I love her too much to let her go without a fight.” There was that unyielding spirit of Rasha’s that Lola respected far more than she appreciated the jokes and taste in movies. That assurity of her choices.

“If Miles stays in the area, I think I’ll try it. But…”

“If he leaves you want a clean break.” Rasha knew what leaving meant to Lola. Rasha didn’t quite understand why a parent would abandon their child. She didn’t get what Mrs. Rivas did to Zoe, she understands it even less with Lola’s mother. Just… her house felt weird the first time Rasha entered it. “Well, if you need someone to cry with while watching The Notebook you have me. Oh! We are about to get to the best part of this movie!”

“Is this the song that’s exactly like Let it Go?”

“It is! It is so weird and amazing!”

Lola paused the movie, “If it is that amazing we need popcorn. I’ll go make some!” Lola sauntered off to the kitchen leaving Rasha to watch her go, smile, and be so glad she can make such good friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I know where I want things to end in this story, unless I want to be mean and twist the ending all around. The point is with all my S4 thoughts I'll be moving onto a new project but this was so much fun to write. Anyway, this chapter is all about building a new friendship. But since this is Lola I want it in that space where others see... something else.
> 
> Even if NOTHING IS HAPPENING. They are FRIENDS. Just two friends who are both girls that like other girls. Like, literally both of them want to just gab about their lovelives too each other because they are so sunny and happy.


	13. Accounting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heading toward the end of our story, we check in on another Degrassi student and his own life at school.

Everything had grown… weird, lately. He didn’t want to blame Lola, but Winston could only see two events that made everything go so off. And he couldn’t blame the other girl, for so many reasons. Winston took stock of where to sit in the caf. The new lines were just so bizarre in some ways.

It still hurt him, Maya wasn’t here. She was doing much better, according to Grace and Jonah. But she wasn’t really ready to rejoin the school yet. This explained Grace’s absence, she was probably visiting Maya at lunch. Jonah was sitting alone, served him right. How he treated Frankie.

Miles sat with Zoe, Rasha, and Lola. Hardly a surprise the four were eating together. It gave Miles and Zoe time together, and gave some illusion Miles and Lola weren’t dating. In spite of the whole school being aware by now. But Rasha and Lola’s loud discourse over one nonsense or another at least held up the facade.

Frankie sat with Tiny, Zig, and their respective girlfriends. Not a surprise. She didn’t spend too much time with Miles  _ and _ Lola, not together. Spending it with Shay was better than being alone. But… something felt off to Winston, he didn’t know the dynamics well enough. Best to just stay out of their way, Tiny and Zig have had quite the history.

Hunter and his gamers were MIA too. Winston assumed they were off doing their own thing. He didn’t really care other than, well, Hunter’s issues generally came back on Frankie and Miles. Then they became his problem. To a degree. Still, looking at the collection of people he knew only one place to sit.

***

Winston sat in the Student Council office with Goldi. The only place he wanted to be right now.

“Oh. Winston. Is Lola seeing someone?”

“Um, is this a ‘I need a date’ or a ‘you heard a horrible rumor about her and Rasha’ question?” Winston frowned as he waited for where this was going. He and Goldi were… friends might be too forward but more accurate than anything else he came up for with the relationship.

“What have you heard?” That question didn’t have any room to argue.

“Rasha and Lola are just friends, she’s happily dating…” Winston paused, “Wait, you seriously don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Lola and Miles? Since… well, forever.”

“I thought Miles was still broken up over Tris… well, breaking up with him.”

“Nope, he went back to his Hope.”

“His… Hope.” Goldi frowned at the idea, her mind working. Winston hung his head at his mistake. He forgot Goldi didn’t really get in on the rumors. So she didn’t even have an idea. “He cheated when Tris was-”

“That was a long time ago. But… him and Lola are pretty much what kept him from being like someone else…” Winston hoped he didn’t have to explain that one. Fortunately for all involved Goldi got there on her own.

“I didn’t realize he was that bad.”

“Well, Lola helped him more than anyone else, even me. So… I’ll let them have that mistake.” Winston finally started on his food, “They were keeping it secret, only a handful of people knew at first but… well, this school and rumors. Rasha and Lola started hanging out to give Lola someone else to talk to.”

“So now that that’s out of the way, any other rumors you wanna check off me.” Winston stayed pretty attached to the weight of what went on, he enjoyed it, gossiped with a friend or two, but mostly it was about being aware of what Zoe and Miles would need to deal with. He started to take a drink.

“Want to go to prom with me?” Goldi asked, it wasn’t really a proposal. It was more like ‘do you want my fries.’

Winston choked. Of course he choked, what else could he do when drinking and being asked that, “Yes. I mean- what? I mean- yes. But… what?”

“Does this mean you haven’t been flirting with me?” Goldi looked a little disheartened, “Zoe and Rasha seemed to have this idea you were into me.”

“Give me a moment to catch up,” Winston wasn’t used to this. Good things. Happening to him. That’s not what this world does! “You realized I was flirting with you because of Rasha and Zoe? So you asked me to prom?”

“I- I don’t really know how to do this.” Goldi had never looked so out of control. Winston put it together pretty quickly, the issue. They’d worked on prom together, it was kinda their big project for the seniors to make their end of year great. Especially after  _ everything _ this year did. So there’d been a lot of late night texting, and a lot of banter.

“Oh, Goldi, I would love to go to prom with you. And yes, I have been flirting with you,” Winston felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Boy. Whatever. The sentiment is how could this work. “So… we should talk to everyone about splitting a limo.”

Goldi nodded, “I’m glad you see me like that. I figured with how everyone acts.”

Winston stopped her by almost grabbing her hand. He stopped himself inches away from her skin, and pulled back. “You’re the most amazing girl- woman, at this school. You do so much, you’re clever, you’re fun. You’re beautiful. Unless you’re randomly blonde under there, cause that really wouldn’t work for you.”

Goldi giggled, she wasn’t usually down for hijab jokes. But ever since Winston started calling her Goldilocks that joke she’s been okay with. From him. It wasn’t suggesting she was bald or anything bad. Just a silly little jab from her… friend. “You’re pretty great too. Even if you couldn’t tell Zoe was into girls.”

“Hey, you couldn’t either.” It was a lame comeback. But it was all he could manage right now, “We still have some final budget items to check off. Be bad if we couldn’t go to prom together cause it wasn’t happening.”

***

“So you finally asked her out Chewey?” Miles asked as he wandered into student council room. Winston wasn’t sure how much of that was overheard, outright spying, or his impossible skill at reading girls. “It’s written all over your face.”

Or Winston’s utter lack of poker face, “...Not exactly.”

“She asked you? Impressive, didn’t think she would. Let’s go, we got planning to do.” Miles slugged Winston in the arm. 

“For what?”

“Everything Chewey, everything.”


	14. Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shamelessly filler before the last two chapters.
> 
> This chapter is also slightly racier than most.

Lola had a lot on her mind, she hadn’t told Miles what she thinks about them and him going away for school. What she wanted, what she needed. She wanted to do this before prom. But she also wasn’t sure how he’d take it. Maybe they can talk about it today, maybe tomorrow. But it had to be soon. She just hoped it didn’t mess up prom.

And all of that didn’t matter right now as she watched Esme and Zig leaving the Hollingsworth mansion. Lola hurried up to the pair as they left, polite smile and a gentle demeanor, “Hi!”

“Oh, hey, Lola.” Zig answered, he was guilty of something. He had that guilty look. The one he wore a lot.

“Lola, hey, Miles isn’t home, but if you want to catch up with Frankie she’s upstairs.” Esme’s cool collected little smile was… unnerving. Lola really didn’t like it, but it was more about the fact that Esme was so many scary things to Lola. “She might be a bit tired.”

“Esme…” Zig was looking guiltier after that. Lola sized the pair up. Zig’s hair was a little more mussed than usual. His shirt looked like it hadn’t been folded ever, so nothing new there. He was smiling, also no help.

Esme however had concealer on her neck. Her clothes and hair were on point but she, without question, was glowing. Which Lola knew because Esme Song had a  _ lot _ of sex on campus. Lola knows what it looks like, she also is a little less bitchy usually. Just a bit. Not nearly as ready to just throw down with everyone.

Lola watched the pair leave before rushing into the house and heading for Frankie’s room.

***

“Lola, hey! I thought you and Rasha were doing movies today.” Nothing in Frankie’s voice helped offset how she looked. It kinda just… compounded what Lola was seeing. And smelling. That aroma was unmistakable, along with the torn apart bed, balled up sheets in the hamper. Frankie had misbuttoned her dress on four buttons, two of them were because the right button was missing. Her hair was a wreck, she had bite marks on her neck and shoulder (from where the dress awkwardly hung off from how quickly Frankie dressed).

“I’m going to need you to explain,” Lola was curious more than concerned. Oh, she was concerned, but her desire to  _ know _ towered over that. This was… very much not Frankie, not the Frankie Lola knew.

“Um… which part?”

Lola steely gaze said that question was obvious.

“Right… um…” Frankie sat down. Lola grabbed a pillow and sat on it. “So you and Miles were doing your thing, so I was tagging along with Shay when she hung out with Tiny. But they were a lot happier doing couply stuff leaving me...”

“To stay with Esme and Zig. So how did that lead,” Lola wasn’t sure how to phrase it, other than to say it, “having sex with them. Are you dating them?” Lola didn’t want to sound judgmental, but… it was a very weird place to be.

“Well, at first we just started hanging out. All three of us, or me and Esme. After a while Esme started just… doing stuff with Zig.”

“She forgot you were there?” Lola didn’t like the sound of that on every level.

“No…” Frankie worried her lip, “I think she liked the audience. At first.”

“Oh.” Lola took the words in before fully working out what Frankie said, “Wait, at first?”

Frankie sighed and fell backwards, “She’d been sorta… sizing up how I reacted, how I looked at them. Then, well… she started inviting me in to join them.”

Lola studied Frankie, then the bed, then made the calculated risk without the sheets the bed was safe, and lay back next to her friend. “And… that’s what happened today?”

“Well, we started a few weeks ago, although Esme started on me alone. She wanted to be sure I was into it before we did anything with Zig.”

Lola studied Frankie’s face, “So… how was it, with a girl?”

“It wasn’t really… sexy. It was more like she was teaching me how to do stuff with a boy. Just… with her. I mean, it felt good, and it was kinda racy. She’s not exactly shy.”

“She isn’t, so… you lost your virginity to Esme?”

“Yeah… weird huh? Who would have thought.”

“So… um, why did you do this?”

“Well… you and Miles, Shay and Tiny. I wanted not to be alone.”

“Franks-”

“I don’t mean like that, I mean…” Frankie drifted off from the words for a moment. “I mean that I felt like I just had to do something. Zig is really sweet, and Esme cares too. Just she’s kinda… weird, about how she shows it. Until I’m ready to date date, I like being cared about.”

“And I bet both of them are really great in bed.”

Frankie laughed, “Yeah… they both really are. Esme’s better.”

“Good to know… Frankie?”

“Yeah Lo’?”

“If Miles and I break up, we’re still friends right?”

“Forever.”

“...Good.”

“Are you?”

Lola was silent for a moment, “I might have to. I don’t want to though.”

“Well, whatever you need, I’m here.”

“...Can you get a shower real quick. I want a hug and you smell like Zig.”

Frankie laughed. “Help me get the laundry into the machine first? I don’t need mom asking questions.”

“Of course.” Lola’s mind worked as the pair got up and gathered all the fabrics that needed to be washed. Lola’s mind mulling over this or that before she finally said it. “So what’s the wildest thing you’ve done with them?”

“Lola!” Frankie slapped her friend playfully, she sighed, “Esme decided to do me while I was going down on Zig. It was… actually really hot.”

Lola spent a few moments trying to picture that before Frankie slapped her again, “Stop it I’ll start blushing more if you think about that.”

“Fiiine, and who thought you would get a threesome before Miles did.”

“I know, he’ll be so mad whenever he finds out.”

“Well I won’t tell him, you’d enjoy it too much.”

“Thank you, Lola. Really… for everything.”

“Now I owe you two hugs. Go!” The pair headed out, Lola for the laundry room while Frankie headed for the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm still stuck on exactly how to handle the last two chapters, which is probably three chapters (the third being an epilogue of some kind). I actually wrote this and the previous chapter a month ago but kept waffling on how short they were and how off topic they were. But I felt like I needed a breather chapter before the finale.
> 
> Also I am really down with Frankie/Esme ship if nobody could guess.
> 
> The chapter being from Lola's general POV was because discovery is a better tool if you wanna skip past certain things. And I'll just... apologize... for how crap I've been at getting chapters out or writing one shots.


End file.
